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The cairn commemorates Captain John Scott and ten seamen of the ship Sierra Nevada which was wrecked off London Bridge rocks on 9 May 1900. The gravestone marks the spot where Captain Scott and ten crewmen are buried, and is dedicated to the 23 crew lost.

The Sierra Nevada left Liverpool, England on 16 January 1900 under the command of Captain John Scott of Manchester, and a crew of 27 bound for Melbourne, Australia with a particularly large and valuable cargo.

On May 8 after 112 days at sea the vessel arrived outside Port Phillip Heads in very rough weather. While waiting outside the heads blue lights were burned as a signal for the pilot schooner. A strong southerly was blowing and shortly after midnight the ship was driven inshore on to the reef in vicinity of London Bridge. Up until the impact no distress rockets had been fired as the captain was unaware that the vessel was in danger.

A subsequent investigations revealed that the pilot was unaware of the the arrival of the Sierra Nevada. On this particular morning the pilot station was some five miles out from the heads which was some distance further out than usual due to the heavy weather. The Sierra Nevada rapidly went to pieces in the pounding surf with the loss of 23 of the 28 crew.